JUST FOR KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

By MELISSA CHAPMAN-MUSHNICK

STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

If you're a parent of a child with special needs,
Concord mom Kirsten Rorke knows what you're going
through. Her 8-year-old son, Michael Yarbrough, is a special
needs child who attends PS 373R, an elementary school for
kids with disabilities.

To help other families of special needs children, Ms. Rorke
created a Web site, www.373virtualpta.wordpress.com, which
is chock full of links, resources and daily updates.

"One of the best things I ever did," Ms. Rorke
reports, "was joining the PTA at my son's school
when he began kindergarten. I made friends and we got
together for play dates, something I always felt too
isolated to do before."

She continues, "The PTA at PS373R has parents who have
children with all sorts of disabilities; autism,
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, emotional
disabilities, Down syndrome and learning disabilities."

"We find strength through laughter. Everyone seems to
have an extreme 'public moment' to share,"
she notes.

"I went from being lonely and confused to feeling joy
at helping others discover opportunities for their child
'out there' in the big, wide world."

Here are some of Ms. Rorke's best bets for families as
well as some additional ideas I researched on my own.

YAI/PROJECT GROW

This six-part workshop series is structured to help parents
understand and manage their child's behavior. A free
nine-week follow-up course is offered to help parents with
an individualized behavior plan for their child, including
data-keeping charts and one-to-one meetings.

Time

Staten Island workshops will begin in January.

Address

PS 373R, 91 Henderson Ave., New Brighton.

Cost

Free.

Ms. Rorke says

"The workshop helped me change our family dynamic and
I now have a more stress-free environment at home."

Information

Contact Nicole Kirby at 212-273-6200; www.yai.org

G.R.A.C.E. Foundation

The G.R.A.C.E. Foundation (Getting Resources for Autistic Children's Equality) parent support groups enable folks to share advice, technical help and moral support about the issues that one encounters in raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)....